Raising funds is literally the life blood of many good causes. But questions are increasingly being asked about the sustainability and integrity of the merchandise that many fund raisers sell. In some cases, the very products being sold might even be contributing to the problem that funds are being raised to solve.The question is important, but more so when it comes to fund raisers supporting health causes like cancer or social justice issues supporting impoverished or disadvantaged people. Like most questions about the sustainability of any product, there is a question of reasonableness, but it is important for these groups to not only be aware, but to be clear that they are aware of where products come from, what they are made of and the impact they have, in the same way as any business with integrity displays it's product virtues. There are literally thousands of campaigns running around Australia at the moment, and Pink Hope is just one of them. They are a fabulous organisation with extremely important mission to raise awareness of breast cancer. Along with the public & their own sales, Pink Hope raise funds by collaborating with business to sell merchandise and awareness through joint campaigns. One excellent campaign running at the moment features a woman in a white shirt, urging other women to know the risks about breast cancer. While Pink Hope aren't selling the shirt as merchandise, it was this pic that got me wondering what the shirt was made of, who made it, where, and under what conditions? Of course I went to Pink Hope's website and shop to see their merchandise and there are all kinds of products in their shop, mostly targeted at women. Given the cause, I then went looking to see what I can find about each of the products' heritage, particularly in relation to their cause. Like most similar websites, there isn't any information, so I sent an email to the company to clarify and we have since received an update on social media. It turns out, quote: "The T-shirt shown is 1 of 80 and produced in Australia. Most Pink Hope products are donated and excess products from brands... so we don’t create much at all. A few small quantities here and there. It’s all pretty much donated. We have vintage jackets and if we do produce-it is such small quantities. We have an active stance on environmental issues and run a small office with a small team... and have minimal wastage as well (🌷🌺🌳). We don’t spend much on merch at all, We don’t really see much value in over production."So here is one great cause making sure that their mission and their actions are as aligned as possible. And the vintage jackets are very cool.Unfortunately there are many others who aren't so careful and that is where it becomes important to make choices. One excellent example is the amount of plastic bottled water being sold to promote charitable causes.The problems, to name just two, with plastic bottled water, are the health risks and the pollution. There is all kinds of literature, with varying levels of authenticity around the link between some plastics and cancers. There was also a study earlier this year into microplastics in bottled water. Of the 259 bottles tested, only 17 were free of plastics, according to the study. In one bottle of Nestlé Pure Life, concentrations were as high as 10,000 plastic pieces per litre of water. We don't yet know the impacts that consuming microplastics will end up having on our bodies, but it's hard to imagine it's going to be good. And then there is pollution. Buying a plastic bottle of water may well help one problem as it immediately creates another. Recently BBC's Blue Planet has given literally millions of people around the world a better understanding of the inter-connectedness of the plastic we use without thought, the pollution and death of our oceans and the threats to the very future of life itself.Given growing awareness of our inter-connectedness and the impact of our actions on others, we expect and are going to see a lot more transparency around products and their heritage. Companies like Etiko have been banging on about the issue forever and are living proof that you don't have to sell cheap, unhealthy products for good causes - and that there is a real interest in the market.Etiko have been champions for product transparency for years, particularly with regard to fairtrade and veganism and are now also producing ethical promotional products through Etiko Merch. They are currently running a campaign targeting universities and asking them about their merchandise - is it fairtrade, organic & eco-friendly? You might think that university students are the last people who can afford eco gear, but the facts are that most people (around 75%), regardless of income will pay for an ethical product. Having said that, most eco products like sweat shirts or sneakers from places like Etiko don't cost any more than brand name non eco.So please don't buy merchandise just because it's offered in exchange for donations. If you don't need something like another teeshirt (even if it is an eco shirt), it's better for you, the cause and the planet for you to simply donate money and leave the merchandise on the shelf. That way the cause isn't losing money to pay for the teeshirt that you didn't even want and more of your donation is used for good.Maybe merchandise should be expensive? Just like Kitty Flanagan's $10 bag suggestion, perhaps if merchandise was more expensive, donations without merchandise would happen more often.Images: Pink Hope | oOh Media | Pink Hope | EtikoPlease note: We promote good things, but do not do any paid promotion.